Why knowledge matters
by E. D. Hirsch · first published 2016
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In this provocative book, influential scholar E.D. Hirsch, Jr., addresses critical issues in contemporary education reform - over-testing, teacher blaming, preschool fadeout, and the persistence of achievement gaps over time. In each case, he shows how cherished truisms about education and child development have led to unintended and negative consequences. Drawing on recent findings in neuroscience and new data from France, he provides new evidence for the argument that a coherent, knowledge-based elementary curriculum is essential to providing the foundations for children's life success and e
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…millions we were about to spend on tech in classrooms wasn’t going to work. Reduce childhood poverty and you’ll improve results. Focus on a knowledge based curriculum and you’ll improve results[1]. 1. Why Knowledge Matters - ED Hirsch Jr
on “Classroom Technology Doesn’t Make the Grade” ↗Check out E.D. Hirsch Jr.'s work, e.g.'Why Knowledge Matters'.
on “AWS CEO says using AI to replace junior staff is 'Dumbest thing I've ever heard'” ↗…knowledge of their domain(s)? Chomsky was never formally schooled in "critical thinking". He just went through normal, rigorous education, reading stacks of books and newspapers along the way. source: Why Knowledge Matters, by E.D Hirsch
on “Education Is a System of Indoctrination of the Young (1989) [video]” ↗…divorced from domain-specific expertise. In order words, the capability to be a critical thinker is in direct relationship with one's competency in _specific domains_ and cannot be generalised. Source: Why Knowledge Matters - E.D Hirsch
on “Ask HN: What should be taught in high school?” ↗I just read Why Knowledge Matters by E. D Hirsch Jr and in that book he does contend that this sort of thing happened around the 60s in the USA and also prominently analyses France’s adoption of similar practices in around 1980-90 that…
on “The flawed three-cueing system for teaching reading” ↗Education has been a big public endeavour in France for over a century and until 1980ish they had excellent results. According to E. D Hirsch in Why Knowledge Matters, the decline in French academic results is attributable to them adopting the individualistic USA model. Where are you getting the information that the supposedly poor results are because schooling is…
on “U of Chicago projected to be the first U.S. university to cost $100k per year” ↗This is the central claim of E.D Hirsch's Why Knowledge Matters[1] book on educational reform. Hirsch is perhaps best known for coining the term "cultural literacy" in his book of the same name. A little while back I wrote about cultural literacy in the software…
on “Teaching general problem-solving skills is not a substitute for teaching math [pdf] (2010)” ↗